Knight in Shining Armor
by TroubledxEyes
Summary: Set after "Thanatos." Stephen can't just let John lay there, beaten waiting for the cure. He rescues John knowing that sometimes even leaders need saving. Things slowly go back to normal with some positive changes to Stephen and John's friendship but, what is the real cost of John's actions? What is the price Stephen will have to pay for rescuing his friend?


"John, wake up!" A voice whispered harshly. He groaned, ignoring the voice. "John, you have to get up! Now!" The voice whispered, harsher. John groaned, again and this time cracked a bruised, blue eye open. His blurry vision caught sight of a brunette head.

"What?" John felt the cuffs being yanked off his wrists and blinked trying to figure out who was helping him. Finally, clearing his vision John caught sight of Stephen's familiar face. "What...what are you doing?" He asked, leaning against Stephen as the teen helped him sit up.

"I'm rescuing you, dumbass." Stephen said, uncuffing John's ankles. "You know, knight in shining armor, damsel in distress and all that." He managed a quick half-grin. John wrinkled his nose, "You calling me a damsel?" He asked, trying to sound intimidating despite how pathetic he must've looked right then. "Watch yourself." He said, dragging in a rough breath and pitching to the side as as he stood and Stephen automatically wrapped an arm around John's waist.

"Still wanna say you're not a damsel?" John frowned, angrily at his words. "Shut it." He said as he gritted his teeth against a fresh wave of pain and dizziness. Stephen pretty much carried John's weight down the hall. He swiped the key card for the door and opened it to a deserted hallway. He made sure to lock the door behind him as he helped John sit and knelt down in front of him. "You gonna make it, princess?" Stephen teased with a small grin.

"I'm going to kill you." John said, glaring at Stephen with pained, exhausted blue eyes. "See that's the John I know and can't stand." Stephen smirked, patting John's cheek as he helped the blonde stand once again as they trekked down the hall. "Just a little bit longer." Stephen said, reassuringly. John's breathing was harsh and heavy and it only increased Stephen's worry that he should be taking John to a hospital and not the dark, wet subway tunnel that John currently called home. He looked at John's still bloody and bruised face, the way he was holding one arm close to his chest and the way he seemed to want to hunch over his ribs Stephen could only remember the night he had taken Irene to the hospital. He had made a judgment call that Irene had needed help, help that none of them could give her. Sighing, Stephen knew that as much as he wanted to take John to a hospital, as much as he and Cara would want John safe, treated and tucked up in bed at the hospital, none of those things were possibilities not with the lives they lived.

The teen tightened his arm around John's waist and spoke, "Hold on." He said, teleporting them to the hideout where Russell immediately jumped to John's other side. The blonde collapsed finally in familiar company where he felt safe, Stephen barely caught him not catching Russell's surprised expression. "I seriously kick ass at this knight in shining armor thing." He said as he pulled John up and walked him over to the hidden area and laid him on a mattress, "Go ahead and pass out, princess." Stephen teased once more. He was met with John's glare for a beat before his blue eyes slid shut and his breathing evened.

Stephen looked up as Cara and Russell hurried into the area. "What the hell happened to him?" Russell asked, bringing in the first aid kit they had. They all knelt by John's side as Cara carefully stroked blood matted blonde hair away from John's forehead and then she turned to look at Stephen, "How the hell did you get him out?" Stephen held up a key card in response, "Amazing what you can do with one of these, especially when the security system is shut down."

Cara's eyes widened in his direction for a moment before her brown eyes rested back on John's sleeping face. "Did they?...Is he?" Cara asked, not letting her eyes stray for a moment from John. Stephen shook his head and rested a hand on her slim shoulder, "He's fine. They didn't get him." The teen reassured. Cara nodded as they all sat down not moving from positions.

John let out, what he later would deny, a whimper as he woke and desperately wanted to curl around his aching ribs. He knew the cuffs wouldn't allow him to but, he tried anyway. Surprisingly, he was able to, he blinked his eyes open to see Cara and Russell sleeping by his right side. "Morning, sunshine." He turned towards the familiar voice and groaned, "You again?"

"Hey, you should be a little grateful. Knight in shining armor, remember?" The brunette said as he let a small grin paint his tired face.

Blue eyes narrowed in his direction, "You called me princess?" John accused, questioningly. Stephen held back a grin and instead gave John a confused look. "What?" He asked, tilting his head. "You think I called you princess? God, what did give you?" Stephen said, incredulous as he looked over to Cara and Russell's now awake and grinning faces.

"Hey, look who's awake." Cara said, happily as she stood and pressed a kiss to John's forehead. A soft, happy look covered John's usually rough expression. "Yeah had us all worried, princess." Russell teased as Stephen finally let the laugh that out that had been building inside of him.

"I knew it!" John shouted, bolting up with a glare. The pain of his ribs hit him quickly and he bent over gripping them. He glared up at them once more, "I..am...going...to kill..you." John breathed out, harshly.

Cara stood behind him and rubbed his back in an attempt to soothe him. "Hey, that's enough. It wasn't too long ago that princess here was saving both of your asses." Stephen and Russell's laughter both died out and were replaced were small grins.

John breathed harshly as he curled tighter around his ribs. He looked up at Stephen with the same angry expression before his mask dropped to reveal a grateful and sincere expression, "Thank you."

Stephen's smile was swapped for a look of shock. He quickly cleared his throat and shook his head. Part of him wanted to revel in it, wanted to rub it in that tough, do-it-all on my own fearless leader John had needed to be rescued, rescued by him nonetheless. He who was nothing but the helpless, stupid rookie. But, another part of him thought of the beaten and bloody John that had looked at him so pitifully as he was getting dragged away, the John that had clung to him as they had escaped, the John that had looked at him with sincere and tired blue eyes and said thank you and all he could do was nod and say, "No problem, I've got your back." 


End file.
